


Unconventional Solutions

by V_mum



Series: Kaayras Adaar [9]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Consensual and yet Not Good Sex, Contracts, Disguised Mental Illnesses and Self Sacrifices, Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - Of Somewhat Fallen Fortune, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I do love Josephine but, M/M, Minor canon divergence, Multi, PTSD and Traumatic refrences, all Second hand and relatively oblivious, between cannon occurrences, more like, not really - Freeform, nothing graphic at all, sexual favors, she's from an immensely different kind of world than most characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:54:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23434993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V_mum/pseuds/V_mum
Summary: Adaar always has taken her seriously, and that is a blessing. The warrior and fighting sort rarely do.Things don't go completely according to plan.“You will speak nothing of this to the Orlesian cut throats. This is enough of an ordeal as it is. Let us not make it worse.”
Relationships: (Primarily Platonic Relationships), Inquisitor & Advisors (Dragon Age), Inquisitor & Companions (Dragon Age), Minister Bellise/Inquisitor, Minister Bellise/Male Inquisitor
Series: Kaayras Adaar [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1178300
Kudos: 8





	Unconventional Solutions

Josephine knows hes not of Human  _ or  _ Orlesian custom- a quinary, of course- and aught to know more of the custom of his own people- where individuals are of equal wealth- than hers, where wealth and reputation are paramount. She's very relieved he takes her seriously, despite not understanding her troubles as well as a human or even a Fereldan might. 

Adaar always has taken her seriously, and that is a blessing. The warrior and fighting sort  _ rarely _ do. 

Josephine is utmost thankful that Adaar listened, and with such patience, to her family ailments. 

Destitution is a large word for a lot of people, meaning absolutely devoid of making end’s meet. When she uses the word, that's… not the meaning it carries, and most would indeed make grave faces at her tale. Tell her she will be just fine without a  _ fortune _ . 

But she doesn't  _ have _ a fortune. She is in debt. The whole of her family is, and that is  _ her  _ responsibility as head of household. And, yes, most people worry about meals, most people worry about getting the education to  _ spell _ destitution, and a lot of people these days worry about red lyrium and holes in the sky and archdemons and darkspawn- but it is her job to worry over her family.

She’s a little cross that he says it, points out her frivolous worry is just so, frivolous and fortunate. But when Kaayras states “Most people worry about a next meal, not keeping a mansion.” Josephine thinks after a little flicker of anger that it may be meant as an attempt to console her, and that anger inside her smolders down to just feint smoke. 

Adaar is by no means a remarkably wordy man, let alone an eloquent tongue, and while the assertion could come off in disapproving manners, the way he speaks it gently is much like an assurance after but a moment of thought. He is not good with his words, but his behavior is always blatant. He belies no sharpness or sarcasm on his tongue. He stays hunched in his lest than amazing posture, which he adopts whenever he is indoors and in the company of others. Josephine theorizes it’s to make him feel smaller in the restricted space of enclosed walls, less out of place. 

Whatever the reason may be, his behavior is telling. He stays gentle, and small, even while asserting that she is worrying about a mansion and a fortune. Josephine suspects Kaayras is trying to help her feel better.

Yes, she is worried to lose an entirety of  _ generations _ of hard work that built the Montilyet fortune and family name- but she  _ isn't _ worrying about not having enough to eat. She does have means, and worse come to worse, she- and by extension, her family- will survive.

After a few moments of pondering what he intended to tell her, she must admit, yes. She feels a little better for him pointing it out as he has.

Good man that Kaayras Adaar is, the first thing he asks after listening to her tale through to the end, is what he can do to help. 

And he doesn't know anything about trading, as far as she knows. Or about the legalities that barred her family from trading in a wealthy country like Orlais. He just understands, when she tells him so, that being able to trade, and being allowed to, properly and legally, is crucial to fixing her family; and immediately he wishes to help.

she begins explaining that, in reality, she’d almost solved that problem… until her couriers are murdered enroute.

And Adaar understands, immediately, the gravity of murdered couriers and destroyed documents, even if he doesn't understand the rest thus far. He understands murder.

He’s already making one large hand to a dagger, ready to turn heel to the war room- this is not an assault on the Inquisition, but his reaction is as if it was upon himself entirely, rather than the house of the Montilyets. For that she is touched.

She stops him quickly by informing him she's already made Leliana aware, and that inquiries have already been dispatched; and with results. That they already have a contact who supposedly knows how and why such an attack was made.

He seems less than pleased when she mentions that the particular Comte contact is adamant that answers will only be given if the Inquisitor were to join her in person to receive said information. 

To her great surprise, he turns out not to be upset at the prospect of being used as a chip in the Orlesian game of Popularity and Gossips. At the time, Josephine just assumed the cross of his arms and unhappy expression had come from the displeasure of being an accessory to be shown off. She doesn't find out until quite a bit later, from Cassandra of all places, that her assumption was incorrect.

Pentagast makes some dry comment about the Inquisitor being irate during a war table debrief, to which Josephine inquired the reason, and Cassandra informs Josephine that “Inquisitor Adaar gave the impression that he is unsettled. That he… appears ‘unreachable’ and cannot ‘be asked for important favors’.”

Cassandra proceeds to make (somewhat amusing) complaints about Adaar telling those of the inner circle that they can ask him for help  _ frequently _ and with  _ excessive _ seriousness over the last month and “ _ can the man not be so sincere while they fight a bear, please?” _ and Josephine gets a good laugh later the same day to see Kaayras harassing Sera, assuring her she can always ask him for help and she's yelling she GETS it so BUZZ OFF before I smash a jar of bees on you!

Despite the comedic annoyance of many people in Skyhold, not just the inner circle, they do get a surprisingly large number of new missions in the war room. Sera hands over a few Red Jenny cases that've been troubling her and some other people, Solas reluctantly hands Josephine a scroll detailing something he lost in an area north of the hinterlands that Kaayras offered to go out and help him find, and Cole begins dropping multiple scratchy notes on the war table with places Kaayras can ‘Help Him Help People’.

Eventually it’s put together that he’s pouting. Josephine had not wanted to request his help in the grave matter of someone attacking her couriers as a slight against her, to hurt her and her family, until he was the only option. It took her an… embarrassingly long time to put it together, not until well  _ after _ the whole tiring ordeal of her family had been settled, actually. 

Thankfully, the pouting and upset vanishes from the Inquisitor when various members of the Inner Circle give him things to help with. He finds himself happily busied with helping his companions as they await the set date to meet the Comte holding the intelligence they need.

Eventually the arranged time to meet the man comes. And when they meet the Comte, Kaayras is polite in his position as a decorative piece to a serious meeting; calm and greets the Comte, speaks when prompted to, and almost completely defers to Josephine where he can. 

She’d heard a lot of talk from the other advisors that the Inquisitor usually struggles in places like Val Royeaux. She does her best to take hold of the conversation in its entirety, and his commanding presence on her team certainly helps. Merely walking through town with the man at her side, she could likely get any little trinket at half price in the stores, or speak to any important person on the balcony ways and have their full attention. 

It’s quite a commanding feeling, even if Adaar looks uncomfortable to so much as Exist in this city.

The average folk of the city do whisper greatly as she walks with him about the streets, as he can be seen  _ and _ recognized for miles, perhaps the only Qunari that many of these people will ever see. 

And she does see it, readily apparent, how the Inquisitor does take too long to speak to people, especially here in Val Royeaux. She had grown used to it in Skyhold, where they all make these little allowances, accustomed to the few moments it takes for him to either process, or put together words, or maybe translate them- whatever it be that makes him take the extra moments to reply to easy conversations. As they speak to the Comte, she is reminded of small things she’d almost forgotten about Adaar, and why Cullen and Leliana make complaints when Josephine recommends using the Inquisitor as the Symbol he could be.

She still thinks they should make use of that angle more often then they do, but, it does not help that Adaar does  _ not _ like taking sides often, or making opinions known, nor flourish in the conversational part of a diplomatic setting.

He does, thankfully, have patience in abound; and however much he takes in of Orlesian Contractual Obligations, or House Reputation, or such things he’s likely never had need to deal with (likely understands very little of it, given a small amount of exasperation and annoyance that creeps into his tone in minor quantity during the conversation with the Comte), he defers completely when Josephine understands such things, or does not question their obvious importance to Josephine.

Just as she is glad he had taken her seriously, she is equally happy in his measure of respect in these matters, even if he doesn't see the point in them.

What he clearly does understand is that there  _ is _ a contract that makes the House of Repose obligated by whatever means to attempt to kill her, and as soon as he hears it, she can see him tense in seat and one of his hands already replaced on a dagger at his waist.

He draws out darkly that it is not only the  _ messengers  _ that are in danger, now. And she's inclined to agree.

For all that he seemed confused on the court and its questions and its unnecessary contracts, she's surprised to find him  _ unsurprised _ \- entirely unaffected, even, when all comes to light on who they’re meeting (no simple comte!). Adaar appeared to have figured out much before her that the man across the table was not some magically well informed man off rumors alone.

He mentions on the ride home when probed that he had suspicions from the moment they arrived- mumbled something about the ‘presence’ of the ‘Comte’, the way he carried himself, only more suspicious at the way he spoke- before once more to Josephine said he was certain they were speaking to someone more the moment the man actually handed them the contract to read- that was far from something someone who had  _ rumors  _ would have had on hand. That was when he knew for sure, but he’d had the hunch the moment they’d arrived. Kaayras had assumed the man was of the supposed “House of Repose” the moment the false Comte had brought the name up, and up until then, had pondered if the man was an assassin sheerly on the way his hands moved, the way he stood, the way he positioned his body, the rounding way he spoke.

He does not flourish under the conversational part of a diplomatic setting. But Josephine must amend: he is no fool in the listening and watching portions. 

Kaayras does not remove his hand from his weapon until the man of the guild answers his accusation of killing the true Comte- no, the man is merely knocked out. Kaayras relaxes a threatening posture only marginally, to a ready and defensive one. She’s more comfortable in the situation- this was a formality of the meeting. She does not expect danger to occur here, and certainly, having Adaar at her side is assured of safety. She is still devastated by the news all the same.

Kaayras lets the man go, without inciting any fights, and that is perhaps for the better. He doesn't understand contracts, although he is resigned to her diplomacy, and Adaar lets the man from the House of Repose depart. With a final glance at her, like asking if she would like Adaar to fight or not. It’s for the better- perhaps the house will afford them time, now that they've heard her method to eliminate the contract- fairly, in a way that does not endanger their guild or reputation.

Kaayras is borderline submissive- supportive and serious and incredibly eager once they are returned to the safety of Skyhold with Josephine practically escorted by the forward team he had brought to Val Royeaux. He’s all ears to help her fight this diplomatically and peacefully under her instruction, already asking about their first moves- until Leliana interrupts.

Destroying the contract is faster, safer, and easier. Lelianna has other plans. Lelianna has suggestions.

When they both look to him to pick a side, he  _ very  _ hesitantly puts forward that Leliana  _ does _ have a point, as though unwilling how to take a side as usual. He reminds her, gently, that they don't have a deal of time on their side.

Abruptly Josephine assures him she  _ knows  _ her plan will work, Inquisitor! And he raises both hands up quickly, assuring her that he doesn't doubt that. But between murder and the processing of paperwork and annulment of a contract and becoming a lord… one of those things happens quicker. Leliana settles the argument quickly, stating that she’s posting workers on guard to watch for the assassins, and that they will have to act on either option soon, whatever they decide be done.

She’s pleased that, at the war table, Josephine sees him lay down the first task for the route of Diplomacy- Leliana is silent on the matter, even as Adaar hands her the task and details to find a Sponsor for the Du Paraquettes. 

And it goes remarkably well!

The inquisitor is dutifully busy- dealing with Hawke and the Wardens hearing the Calling is a mess on its own, but even between field work outings, he makes poignant scheduled stops back to skyhold. It is thanks to his remarkable diligence that this goes as fast as it does- they find the sponsor, get a judge’s favor, the documents they need declaring them nobility, and finally, an invitation to a party to see the minister to get the paperwork ratified.

They are crucially close!

Until of course, the first assassination attempt.

The House of Repose had to make do try, but she thought they’d have more time. Josephine hadn't even considered-- her guard had been down completely. If it hadn't been for the unseen scouts Leliana had placed, she would be dead the very day she was meant to leave to attend the party.

That would have been a great tragic irony. 

The Inquisitor, of course, is punctual. Today they leave to meet the minister, and he arrives to Skyhold only moments after the attempt is thwarted, and fresh blood spilled on the stone, lit a glowing orange from the fireplace roaring in her office.

Adaars’s headed to the war room to make arrangements when he finds out. He’s been in the castle less than a few moments, and not expecting more than to pick up josephine and leave again, already worn exhausted after chasing Wardens down in Crestwood.

He stumbles upon the scene almost moments after it is finished. His face only falls darker as he’s informed of what happened, standing in her office with a dead body on the floor.

He inquires if she is  _ sure  _ she wasn't hurt, and though she is frightened, she is relieved that the guard arrived on time, and she tells him so.

The raven sergeant heads off to make her first reports about the attempt to Leliana. Panic wains from the Inquisitor’s face and dagger-gripping hands as he stares at the corpse growing cold. Assured that Josephine is fine and well, for now, he moves slowly from fearful apprehension to frustrated agitation.

He says it only once, and she’s almost certain it wasn't intended to be spoken out loud, and only to himself. “We shouldn't have taken this risk.” and she knows, knows he regrets taking her route. And maybe it  _ would  _ be over by now, if they had gone the way Leliana wanted. Maybe the contract would be destroyed, and no attempt ever made on her life.

She doesn't really know.

Kaayras double checks she is alright before he leaves again to finish what he must, before they can leave Skyhold to finish up this mess.

The Iron Bull suddenly appears in her office, sat comfortably in a chair facing the fireplace. Reclined, but a hand propped on the handle of his current weapon of choice: a massive war hammer. Despite the light wink, a calm grin, and a comment about “just being sick of the tavern for the night, if you don't mind me intruding”, they both know it's obvious Kaayras sent for him to stay on watch for her safety. 

Bull does not leave her side- or her office, that is- until Kaayras returns to her, and both he and Josephine are ready to depart for the Minister’s party. Bull stays behind to watch the fire, calm, and she wonders if he’s meant to guard her office while she is away, too.

She departs with Kaayras and the team he assembles- Cassandra, Vivienne, and Dorian, a team certainly meant for Orlesian Diplomacy over Fighting, but without leaving out the fighting part; mind you, the way Cassandra stays close to Josephine’s side and never leaves it the duration of the trip, its safe to say she is not left unguarded. Leliana waits at the gate, to see them off and report to Adaar that she shall personally see to it while they are gone that the castle’s security is fixed, no other assassins remain in the ranks of skyhold, and it will be safe there once more for their return.

They all travel to Orlesian territory, and the further behind Skyhol lays, the more jovial the party becomes, joking between each other as the threat recedes into the past.

Josephine wishes, however, that she were able to join the Inquisitor to his private meeting with the Minister. She can’t- he parts with them at the gate of the party, seeing as they’d only managed the single invitation, but one private meeting is better than none at all.

They wait outside the gates, as planned. Josephine is with Cassandra, a ways down the road, staying out of sight but still keeping their eyes out for assassins. Vivienne walks the street, just as attentive, and Dorian keeps posted at the gate, to keep an eye out on the inquisitor himself, in case there is a sign of trouble, and both are to wait for the Inquisitor to come back out unless Cassandra signals for defensive backup.

Things don't go  _ completely _ according to plan.

Dorian and Vivienne come back, frowning, after quite a while. Cassandra demands where Adaar is, as he should be with them. They should not have left the Herald unguarded.

Dorian relays what he overheard from the gate. Kaayras offered an Inquisition favor when Bellise demanded something in return for her approval. She scoffed fairly hard over it. She demanded something more, better, than a mere favor.

And of course Josephine knows what that means in Orlesian; it means offer something  _ more _ than a favor, but essentially, still a favor. A fishing expedition. She’d have advised Adaar to offer Josephine herself- antivan connection- if she’d been there with him. Or a few secrets off of Lellians network to play in the Game. Even aid from the soldiers.

Dorian scratches the back of his head, frowning. “And then, you know, he must have been stumped what to offer, because he made one of those nasty bitter jokes we all  _ love and adore _ .” Dorian crosses his arms, scowling. “Not one of the funny ones, either. More or less, some pitiful joke about offering a good night, and that the party surely wouldn't miss them.”

Cassandra looks  _ aghast _ . “Surely he didn't  _ jest _ to the  _ minister _ . And surely he didn't  _ seriously _ offer a  _ bed _ as a  _ favor. _ ” it's hard to tell which she appalled more with.

Dorian shrugged a bit, shifting. “It  _ was _ a joke. The really bad kind he’d cough up when you corner him, too, poor fool and that awkward laugh of his. It was hard to miss.”

“And?” Vivienne prompted,  _ almost _ leering. “I’ve heard, from no one in particular of course… Madam Minister Bellise is not… adverse to accepting…  _ offers _ for favors. Only for the most interesting specimens, of course.”

Dorian shoots her a look and makes a face. “Well, like all high class woman, she got angry at the insinuation of a good laying. I'm surprised she didn't slap him. She asked if he  _ was _ serious at the end of her little tirade, and.” he made an even worse face. “Well he  _ wasn't _ serious, I can tell you that much. But instead of admit it like a sane man, and offer her something else, I suppose he just… blurted out yes. I didn't really hear his response, he was far too quiet, I could bet half the imperium he sounded like a scared pup with whatever he said. She smiled so wide, mumbled something to her guard, and they went inside. I  _ have _ to  _ assume _ he said yes.”

Josephine cupped a hand over her mouth, gasping. “Oh, my…”

“Hm. Interesting.” Vivienne mused. “I’ll have a fun hand to play, next Orlesian party. The Minister and the Inquisitor, Bed for a night to aid a third, foreign party on the run from the House of Repose. About as tender a story as one can ask for.”

“You will speak nothing of this to the Orlesian cut throats.” Cassandra might as well growl, “This is enough of an ordeal as it is. Let us not make it worse.”

They end up waiting around for a few hours, with small minor bickering, and little jokes passed between Dorian and Vivienne, occasionally aimed to frustrate Cassandra as siblings might annoy their mother; Josephine cant help a laugh or two. She cannot  _ wait _ to be free of all of this, and as soon as she is, she’ll be working on her way to repairing her family, trading with Orlais once again. She can't help feeling amused the way the Inquisitor decided to close the deal out, but more than anything, just relieved.

Kaayras Adaar returns to them just as sunset has given way to night falling.

The Inquisitor is silent as a plague and an uneasy atmosphere falls almost  _ immediately _ on his return, despite walking in half way through Dorian’s joke about just how long they were taking.

Kaayras just stands there a few moments too long, no reaction to what he’s overheard or having rejoined his companions. It’s dark out already, and it's hard to really define anything about him past his sheer size. 

Josephine feels something brush against her chest, and when she reaches up hesitantly in the dark atmosphere, she finds a neat stack of paperwork; as she moves to take it, her thumb falls on a wax seal. The large hand holding it up to her lets go, and it’s hers now.

He succeeded then.

Something deeply relieved wells up in her stomach, sending a wave of an exhale through her body and relaxing tight strung muscles. 

Ok… ok.

“Thank you, inquisitor.” she breathes. Her life will be out of danger soon. She can't thank him enough. 

No response answers her. Her relief is spoiled by that looming atmosphere.

“It is too late to begin travel. Let us find an Inn for the night.” Cassandra recommends into the stretching silence.

“Yes. Lets. Ghastly to try and travel on a new moon, no light at all. Lets sleep, like decent, civil people, in beds.” Dorian agrees, loudly, and his footsteps prompt the rest to follow. Kaayras trails behind them, slow to begin walking at all.

Cassandra parts long enough from Josephine’s side to walk next to the Inquisitor, and Vivienne drops to Josephine’s side like a replacement. While she is an ambassador, a trader, not a fighter, it feels odd that Kaayras might need a guard like Josephine does.

Dorian finds them an Inn rather quickly, using the light of his staff occasionally to light signs for reading. They pile in and Cassandra sets forward with the innkeeper to start setting up rooms for the night.

Josephine turns to thank Kaayras again before they end up splitting for the night, but silence falls on her throat, now that she sees more than his silhouette in the dim candle lights indoors.

The paint on his lips is smeared, as is the rest of the intricuit face design he put together just before they’d enter Val Royaux, and vibrant purple eyes vacantly meet the floor. Streaks run through the thin layer of paint around his eyes, and those streaks smudged across his cheeks from likely rubbing, and she can't recall ever seeing his hair down before, or him not wearing the scarf and gloves, or in as few layers. The missing articles, his coat, and some other effects are all wadded up together, held in one hand and pressed against his chest like something valuable, and she can't say she’s ever seen someone more exhausted that hasn't been in a life or death fight, either.

Dorian and Cassandra are whispering back and forth at the counter as Cassandra hands him room keys. Dorian mutters, almost inaudibly, “I just think that if he's going to be like this, it’s a bad idea to leave him alone, unguarded.” 

Cassandra, just loud enough to hear, tells Dorian to “ask him then, but Solas tells me that when he’s like this, it's better to let him sleep, and be alone. Something he and that Cole figure out.”

After a moment's hesitation Dorian approaches them, each step carefully calculated to look calm. 

“Well, miss Montilyet, we figured you would be most comfortable sharing a room with Madam Vivienne tonight, seeing as the largest rooms they have here are two beds each.”

“That sounds delightful, yes. Thank you, Dorian.” 

“Of course.” he nods, hesitates again, and then continues. “That will,  _ of course _ , leave the rest of us three to be figured out. I certainly don't mind spending a night sharing a room with a strapping young man such as your- self- and- i'm sure- Pentaghast wouldn't mind either?”

Adaar’s bare hand ever faintly tightens against his balled up clothing somewhere around ‘ _ strapping young man’ _ , and the other one is shaking as Cassandra is mentioned hurriedly as Dorian tries to make up for some unknown strike he must have spoken, but does not enlist a better response. Dorians rushed second offer appears only to strain the man more, and leaves the mage floundering briefly, twirling his staff between his fingers.

“Certainly- the Inquisitor is entitled to his own space, though- and neither of us mind sharing with each other- If you prefer, Kaayras.” Dorian applies, just as hastily as he’d offered Cassandra as a roommate.

Kaayras nods; just once, small.

Dorian backs off quickly at that- “Alright, then, it's settled. Kaayras will take the middle room nestled between our doubles! Fantastic.” he announced, loudly enough Cassandra can hear, “well now! Let's all head up and get settled. My incredibly beautiful self is exhausted from a long day’s work, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> A Canonical turn of events that will disrupt the thus-far episodic nature of Adaar's Inquisition when something finally hits close enough to home he cant so easily compartmentalize everything tucked away neatly into boxes.
> 
> A turning point in Adaar's series to shake things up.


End file.
